A few dozen armed men identified by airport officials as “self-defense squads” are leaving the Simferopol airport in Crimea, following their overnight raid of the airport terminal and their patrol of the grounds outside that followed.

Crimeans began protesting after the new self-proclaimed
government in Kiev introduced a law
abolishing the use of other languages in official circumstances
in Ukraine. More than half the Crimean population are Russian and
use only this language for their communication. The residents
have announced they are going to hold a
referendum to determine the fate of the Ukrainian autonomous
region.

In the middle of the night at least three KamAZ trucks without
license plates drove to the airport with about 50 men inside, the
witnesses said.

One of the witnesses told LifeNews website that the armed men are
members of ethnic Russians' "self-defense squads."

“We were here and saw them arrive. Nice guys,
polite. Not insolent. They have been patrolling the place to
safeguard it from the possible arrival of radical
Ukrainians.”

Airport spokesman Igor Stratilati denied reports of a takeover.
He said that about 50 armed men arrived at the airport to search
for Ukrainian airborne troops. However, after finding out that
there were no military personnel present on the tarmac, they
apologized and left the territory, Igor Stratilati told Echo of
Moscow radio.

The head of the Simferopol airport security service, Vladimir
Perepelitsa, confirmed that the people patrolling the territory
of the airport are calling themselves "self-defense
squads" and their intention is to prevent possible turmoil.

“We are constantly in touch with them,” Perepelitsa
said, the Crimean information agency reported. “We are
protecting passengers inside the airport, and they do the same
outside. If everything goes as peacefully as it does now, then
they will stay here for as long as it takes to provide
security.”

More militia remain at Simferopol #Crimea
airport after departure of a few dozen just now. #Ukraine

Maksim Pastukhov, a correspondent with RT’s documentary channel
who is now at the airport, has also reported that it’s being
patrolled by "self-defense squads," adding that they in
no way are hampering the airport from operating flights according
to schedule.

“It’s all quiet inside the airport,” he said. “There
are much fewer armed people outside than there were in the
morning.”